Sussex Rural announces storm plans

SUSSEX — In anticipation of the snow storm scheduled to hit the service beginning Thursday, Sussex Rural Electric has implemented its storm preparation plan.

This includes stocking all line and support vehicles with materials needed to restore power, checking equipment to be sure it is operational, fueling all vehicles, and initiating mutual aid agreements. Utilities have agreements to support each other in the aftermath of severe storms where outages are widespread.

For reasons of employee safety, the Sussex Rural business offices will be closed Thursday. All calls will be forwarded to the storm line. All members are asked to report outages to 877-504-6463. Everyone is reminded that outage restoration progress can be tracked online, http://outages.sussexrec.com/ and by email blasts, Tweets and media reports.

Do not call the outage line with requests for estimated restoration times.

Do not report an outage more than once so as to keep the phone lines open for people trying to report new outages. If power is restored and subsequently fails again, that qualifies as a new outage and should be reported to 877-504-6463.

Members are encouraged to take all necessary steps to protect their health and property. Those with medical conditions requiring uninterrupted electric service should seek locations with backup power supplies. We cannot guarantee uninterrupted service nor can we guarantee priority restoration based on medical needs. Local Emergency Management operations can help individuals find suitable locations.